The Royal Rumble route used parts of the trails plus some extra parts and a few diversions. It was heavy going and conditions were still a bit sticky following a lot of rain earlier in the week. The long climb was rewarded with some really fun downhill though. The trail required a delicate approach and the final descent worked really well if you were prepared to roll with it.

We couldn’t believe how fast the proper racers were – still hammering up the hills on the last lap.

Results are here (Time Laps website). My best lap was 35 minutes dropping to 49 minutes after 6 – the winner was 27 minutes dropping to 29 after 9 of them!

On Sunday it was a bike demo day, with Specialized, Cube, Cannondale, Stevens, Scott, Kinesis, Pivot and Salsa present, plus stands from Shimano and Garmin.

We took a few bikes out for a test session. The personal favourite was the Specialized Camber FSR expert carbon. This went up the hills with little effort and swallowed all the down I could throw at it. It was so assured and fun on the roots and mud. A very flattering bike to ride. I also tried a Camber Carbon 29″ bike and there wasn’t much in it really. I still prefer 26″ wheels myself.

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Warning

Remember that mountain biking is a risk-assumed sport so please take care, ensure your bike is properly maintained and wear appropriate safety clothing/helmet. Note that riding the Croft Trail or any other route mentioned on this site is done so at your own risk. This includes attending rides listed in our events calendar which are, unless stated otherwise, arranged by volunteers not trained leaders. If in doubt about your abilities on a particular section get off and walk and consider getting professional training.